"and undefiled before God, is this, To "vifit the fatherless and widow in their

affliction; and to keep himself unspot"ted from the world (a)." "Hoflias et "victimas Domino offeram quas in ufum "mei protulit, ut rejiciam ei fuum munus? Ingratum eft; cum fit litabilis "hoftia bonus animus, et pura mens, et "fincera confcientia. Igitur qui inno"centiam colit, Domino fupplicat; qui

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juftitiam, Deo libat; qui fraudibus abftinet, propitiat Deum ; qui hominem periculo fubripit, optimam victimam "cædit. Hæc noftra facrificia, hæc Dei "facra funt. Sic apud nos religiofior eft ille, qui juftior* (b)." The laws of

* "Shall I offer to God for a facrifice thofe creatures which his bounty has given me for my "ufe? It were ingratitude to throw back the gift upon the giver. The moft acceptable facrifice is "an upright mind, an untainted confcience, and 66 an honeft heart. The actions of the innocent a"fcend to God in prayer; the obfervance of ju"ftice is more grateful than incenfe; the man who " is fincere in his dealings, fecures the favour of his "Creator; and the delivery of a fellow-creature "from danger or destruction, is dearer in the eyes "of the Almighty than the facrifice of blood.”

(a) James, i. 27.

(b) Minucius Felix.

X X 2

Zalcucus,

7

Zaleucus, lawgiver to the Locrians, who lived before the days of Pythagoras, are introduced with the following preamble. "No man can question the existence of Deity who obferves the order and har66 mony of the universe, which cannot be "the production of chance. Men ought “ to bridle their paffions, and to guard a"gainst every vice. God is pleased with 66 no facrifice but a fincere heart; and dif"fers widely from mortals, whofe delight is fplendid ceremonies and rich offerings. Let juftice therefore be ftu"died; for by that only can a man be σε acceptable to the Deity. Let those who

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are tempted to do ill, have always be"fore their eyes the fevere judgements of "the gods against wicked men. Let them

always keep in view the hour of death, "that fatal hour which is attended with "bitter remorfe for tranfgreffing the rules

of justice. If a bad difpofition incline you to vice, pray to Heaven at the foot "of of the altar, to mend your heart." Morality is thus included in religion. Some nations, however, leave not this propofition to reafoning or conviction, but ingrofs many moral duties in their religious

ligious creed. In the 67th chapter of the Sadder, a lie is declared to be a great fin, and is discharged even where it tends to bring about good. So much purer is the morality of the ancient Perfians than of the present Jefuits. The religion of the people of Pegu, inculcates charity, forbids to kill, to steal, or to injure others. Attend to the confequence: that people, fierce originally, have become humane and compaffionate. In a facred book of the ancient Perfians, it is written, "If

you incline to be a faint, give good e"ducation to your children; for their "virtuous actions will be imputed to you. The people of Japan pay great respect to their parents; it being an article in their creed, That those who fail in duty to their parents, will be punished by the gods. In these two inftances, religion tends greatly to connect parents and children in the most intimate tie of cordial affection. 'The reverence the Chinese have for their ancestors and the ceremonies performed annually at their tombs, tend to keep them at home, and prevent their wandering into foreign countries.

Ancient Perfia was fertile and populous:

at

at prefent it is barren and thin of inhabitants. Sir John Chardin accounts for the difference. The climate of Perfia is fo dry, that fcarce a fhower falls during fummer: even grafs will not grow without being watered. This defect of climate was remedied by the ancient inhabitants, tèrmed Gaures; among whom it was a religious act, to cultivate wafte land and to plant trees for fruit. It was a maxim in the facred book of that religion, that he who cultivates the ground with care and diligence, acquires a greater flock of religious merit, than can be acquired by ten thousand prayers. The religion, on the contrary, of the prefent Mahometan inhabitants, leads them to take no care for to-morrow: they grafp at prefent enjoyment, and leave all the reft to fate.

Superftitious rites in fome religions, are fuccessfully employ'd to enforce certain moral duties. The Romans commonly made their folemn covenants in the capitol, before the ftatue of Jupiter; by which folemnity he was understood to guarantee the covenant, ready to pour out vengeance upon the tranfgreffor. When an oath enters into any engagement, the

Burates,

Burates, a people in Grand Tartary, require it to be given upon a mountain, held to be facred; they are firmly perfuaded, that the perfon who fwears a falfehood, will not come down alive. The Effenes, a Jewish fect, bound themfelves by a folemin oath, to fhun unlawful gain, to be faithful to their promifes, not to lie, and never to harm any one. In Cochin-China, the fouls of those who have been eminent for arts or arms, are worshipped. Their ftatues are placed in the temples; and the fize of a ftatue is proportioned to the merit of the perfon reprefented. If that be impartially executed, there cannot be a nobler incitement to public fpirit. The Egyptians did not reach the thought of honouring virtue after death; but they difhonoured vice, by excluding it from the Elyfian fields.

The falutary influence of religion on morality, is not confined to pure religion, whether by its connection with morality in general, or by inculcating particular moral duties. There are many religious doctrines, doubtful or perhaps erroneous, that contribute alfo to enforce morality. Some followers of Confucius afcribe im

mortality